It is a chilling image that will go around the world - a woman in a hijab 'claiming to have a bomb in her bag' pictured as armed police take aim at her.

It is not known if the backpack contained a bomb or not but officers were not taking any chance.

The incident is on-going seven hours after it started at the seafront in Saltburn, Teesside, today. Army bomb disposal experts are believed to be on site.

Armed Police surround the woman in Saltburn, Teesside, and take aim. Her bag is behind her

Cleveland Police have not yet confirmed the exact nature of the incident but have said the area has been cordoned off after concern for the welfare of a woman. Negotiations with her are still taking place.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a white wearing a dress with a veil sitting on a bench surrounded by armed police, who were alerted shortly after 11am.

Residents in Saltburn say they believe it is a woman local to the area.

A bomb disposal team have are also at the scene and a police helicopter has been scrambled

It is understood that a rucksack is being examined by bomb disposal experts and at one point the woman was face down on the ground as officers covered her with their weapons.

A cordon is in place and Saltburn bank has been shut to traffic.

Some locals claimed the woman had been to a hardware store in the town earlier in the day and purchased items.

The woman is ordered to walk forward, away from the bag as armed police keep their guns trained on her

The bag is left in the street with concerned officers treating it as a suspect package

Specialist officers took cover in case the package contained a bomb

One, who did not want to be named, said: 'She doesn't say a lot, she's always walking around wearing a white hijab, she's white.

'My friend tried to say hello to her once, she just snapped at him. We heard she went to M and M DIY Home Improvement hardware store, trying to buy things to make a bomb apparently.'

Sales assistants at the store would not confirm that the woman had been to the shop, however a shopkeeper next door said she had been in the store earlier in the day.

Sign-fitter Will Murray was working in the arcade in the town's pier when the stand-off began.

As members of the public were evacuated from the area, he and his colleagues were trapped inside to witness armed police and bomb disposal experts descend on the scene.

This picture, taken by a member of the public inside a building and posted on Twitter, shows how police took aim from all angles

The woman, pictured here with her hands on her head, was found by police sitting on a seafront bench

Police quickly put up a cordon around the scene as police and fire fighters gathered to deal with the incident

The 31-year-old, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, said: 'Police coaxed her out of a small shelter near to the pier at around noon and got her to kneel on the floor.'

She had a rucksack and Mr Murray believes officers suspect there was a bomb inside it.

Speaking at 4pm, he said: 'All we can see is the woman on the floor with her back to us.

'She has moved away from the bag now. She has a veil on. They are still pointing guns at her and the dogs and bomb disposal are still here.

It is a chilling image that will go around the world - a woman in a hijab 'claiming to have a bomb in her bag' pictured as armed police take aim at her.

It is not known if the backpack contained a bomb or not but officers were not taking any chance.

The incident is on-going seven hours after it started at the seafront in Saltburn, Teesside, today. Army bomb disposal experts are believed to be on site.

Armed Police surround the woman in Saltburn, Teesside, and take aim. Her bag is behind her

Cleveland Police have not yet confirmed the exact nature of the incident but have said the area has been cordoned off after concern for the welfare of a woman. Negotiations with her are still taking place.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing a white wearing a dress with a veil sitting on a bench surrounded by armed police, who were alerted shortly after 11am.

Residents in Saltburn say they believe it is a woman local to the area.

A bomb disposal team have are also at the scene and a police helicopter has been scrambled

It is understood that a rucksack is being examined by bomb disposal experts and at one point the woman was face down on the ground as officers covered her with their weapons.

A cordon is in place and Saltburn bank has been shut to traffic.

Some locals claimed the woman had been to a hardware store in the town earlier in the day and purchased items.

The woman is ordered to walk forward, away from the bag as armed police keep their guns trained on her

The bag is left in the street with concerned officers treating it as a suspect package

Specialist officers took cover in case the package contained a bomb

One, who did not want to be named, said: 'She doesn't say a lot, she's always walking around wearing a white hijab, she's white.

'My friend tried to say hello to her once, she just snapped at him. We heard she went to M and M DIY Home Improvement hardware store, trying to buy things to make a bomb apparently.'

Sales assistants at the store would not confirm that the woman had been to the shop, however a shopkeeper next door said she had been in the store earlier in the day.

Sign-fitter Will Murray was working in the arcade in the town's pier when the stand-off began.

As members of the public were evacuated from the area, he and his colleagues were trapped inside to witness armed police and bomb disposal experts descend on the scene.

This picture, taken by a member of the public inside a building and posted on Twitter, shows how police took aim from all angles

The woman, pictured here with her hands on her head, was found by police sitting on a seafront bench

Police quickly put up a cordon around the scene as police and fire fighters gathered to deal with the incident

The 31-year-old, from Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, said: 'Police coaxed her out of a small shelter near to the pier at around noon and got her to kneel on the floor.'

She had a rucksack and Mr Murray believes officers suspect there was a bomb inside it.

Speaking at 4pm, he said: 'All we can see is the woman on the floor with her back to us.

'She has moved away from the bag now. She has a veil on. They are still pointing guns at her and the dogs and bomb disposal are still here.